How can you describe your experience with change management to a hiring manager?

For 4 YEARS I stammered to answer this question I was a self-taught change manager and did not know that what I did was called Change Management. As a result, opportunities were scarce. Turns out, when you don't know what you do, nobody else does. 😀 Most people have no idea what Change Management is. Troubleshoot at the beginning. Ask if they know. If not, provide your upfront prepared user-friendly definition. Follow up with a question if they would like to hear more about how you implemented change on your projects. I don't like definitions, but they exist for a reason. And this is the case where they can turn the whole conversation around.

Without a shared and common understanding of a topic there cannot be constructive dialogue and subsequently relevant action. In my experience Change management has meant different things to different people/ industry sectors eg 1. the soft side of a specific “project” that is addressed throughout the lifecycle - or worst case at the end of the lifecycle 2. change management = “project”management (not true but they are interdependent) 3. strategic management of how to address people and cultural dimension at a macro level. Change management needs to address all of the above to be truly effective ,the risk is some approaches are too narrow. Just ensure that there is a common understanding of what change management means in your organisation.

I make sure to do my homework before the interview. What is the company focused on right now? How can I deliver value that helps them solve problems? Be specific during the interview.

Project management is over when the project is delivered. Change management is when new things become "business as usual". Recruiters are looking for smart people. Smart people can take complex ideas and break them down in simple terms. You do not need to quote change management books if you don't feel it's helpful. Speak to your experience on what makes change seamless and integrated and define the differences and synergies with other departments, like project management, business operations, executive teams, and so forth.

Change Management beschreibt die immer wiederkehrende PDCA-Schleife, die genommen werden sollte, wenn vor allem eine Haltung zu Veränderungen entwickelt werden soll. Darin enthalten ist auch die Fähigkeit, zielgruppenorientiert kommunizieren zu können - denn Veränderungen betreffen häufig mehr als nur einen kleinen Teil der Organisation. Weiterhin ist Change Management der Mix aus theoretischen Wissen, dass wissenschaftlich fundiert sein sollte, genau so wie die praktische Umsetzung, die bisweilen auch im vermeintlichen Widerspruch zur Praxis stehen kann. Vor allem bedeutet Change Management jedoch für mich, Unsicherheiten zu absorbieren und zu behandeln, die auftreten können.

Speak the language of your interviewer. HRs love people's stories. Change is about people. I found that people who contract me like that even if I led the implementation of software, I always knew it was about people. I try to tell my experience as a story, in the context of the impact of the change on people and culture. There are numbers ofc, but there is storytelling too. HR people especially love that. It's their language. :)

If I put myself as a hiring manager, I love to recruit change management professional who have more failures with one exception that the failures are new every time (not doing the same mistake). If someone tells all successful examples in his/her result (STAR) then I need a solid justification before recruiting them.

The power of storytelling is invaluable when discussing change management. Focus on your wins and your losses. The best success stories start with a challenge and often times include areas where the change did not work as expected, but a pivot or a refocus was needed. Error is human, but highlighting how some errors were amended and through learning, avoided in the future, can show you to be an affective change agent.

Here you should demonstrate a solid example when you successfully managed change and drove results Results is the keyword here And also, hiring managers will want to know how did you manage people during change

Preparing for an interview? Here's a winning strategy: review both successful projects and those with valuable lessons, using the STAR method: Situation: Share context and challenges, backed by facts and numbers. Task: Outline your role, emphasizing key responsibilities and metrics. Action: Detail steps taken concisely to address challenges or contribute to success. Result: Highlight outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned. Keep it concise, weave in facts and figures, and leave room for questions. This approach fosters a fluid conversation, allowing you to showcase your expertise and adaptability. Ready to ace that interview! 💼🚀

When describing change management experience to a hiring manager, emphasize a blend of technical and soft skills. Highlight analytical acumen for assessing change impacts and effective communication abilities for stakeholder engagement. Showcase leadership in driving change initiatives and resilience in adapting to evolving situations. Reference any specialized training, like Prosci certification, and practical application of tools like ChangeScout for managing change processes. As a global change management expert, these elements collectively demonstrate a comprehensive and strategic approach to navigating and leading change effectively.

Showcase your ability to lead and guide teams through transitions, demonstrating how you've successfully navigated complex change initiatives in the past. Demonstrate your problem-solving capabilities by outlining instances where you identified issues during change initiatives and implemented effective solutions. Highlight your commitment to continuous improvement by discussing how you've learned from previous change initiatives and applied those lessons to enhance future strategies Showcase your ability to identify and mitigate risks associated with change, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing potential challenges.

Change management needs a variation of skills and not all people have these types of skills .. some of the skills are easy to acquire while others are unique and related to their personality. In addition to the technical skills that can be easily acquired. The one main skill is the ability to get things together and form a meaningful case.

Describe how you play to your strengths and overcome any skills gaps throughout a change project. Choose your case study well. That is, align to the needs of the position you are interviewing for.

For change management, essential skills include: 1. Strategic Planning - Developing and executing change strategies. 2. Leadership - Motivating teams through transitions. 3. Communication - Articulating change clearly to stakeholders. 4. Problem-Solving - Addressing obstacles creatively. 5. Adaptability - Adjusting approaches as needed. 6. Stakeholder Management - Balancing varied expectations. 7. Project Management - Overseeing change initiatives end-to-end. 8. Conflict Resolution - Resolving resistance and disputes. 9. Analytical Skills - Evaluating change impact and feasibility. 10. Empathy - Understanding and addressing concerns of affected individuals.

Speaking by experience, this stands as the most important element of it. Alignment will create senses of belonging. Grow ownership & commitment to actually execute nicely the projects that will be delegated to an employee. Communicate as honest as possible of what you think about these upcoming projects, supported by experienced that you had in the past, industry trends, and so forth. Communicate as NICELY as possible - since your intonation & tone will by the end define whether you are going to have a successful alignment or not with your employer. Lastly, communicate at the right TIMING. Don’t force your alignment session to be held now - if either you or your employer are actually busy and dizzy with other matters.

In contributing to your employer's change efforts, aligning with organizational needs and goals is paramount. Sharing examples of when you've demonstrated value in these areas is helpful: proactive problem-solving, effective communication, skill development, cross-functional collaboration, data-driven decision-making, change adoption advocacy, resource optimization, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By actively sharing these examples, you not only demonstrate your commitment to adding value but also showcase a strategic understanding of your employer's needs and goals.

The final step in this article is actually the FIRST step. Talking about your own experience is meaningless unless you can build a deep understanding of what the hiring manager and organization are looking for. Most hiring managers have little to no understanding of a discipline that has evolved immensely over time. While effective change management requires a combination of leadership, communication, project management, and interpersonal skills, it is an iterative process to ensure that the changes become ingrained in the organization's culture and practices.

A great way to align change management with the organization’s needs and goals is to set OKR’s and KPI’s. These will help provide specific steps on how to achieve the companies objectives through change management.

Change Management requires alignment with an organisation’s strategic objectives. To be a skilled change management practitioner, you need to be focused on impact and outcomes, not just the delivery of tasks and projects. In an interview, it is important to demonstrate that you understand the organisation’s strategy and are able to articulate how you would align to it. You can show how you would ensure the strategy is realised through change management practices.

It's going to help you if you can demonstrate your resilience. Change is hard. People resist it. Emotions can sometimes run high. The plan you carefully constructed will inevitably have to change due to some change in circumstances, whether that be an internal or external factor. Key program members may move on to new jobs or roles. Curve balls will be thrown, so if you can demonstrate your ability to cope and still deliver great outcomes, you will improve your standing.

Consider and be clear about what change management is not: - a communication plan - a training plan - change controlling - change management in IT systems - change administration

Take pause after you've planned your full approach to implementing a change. Reflect on the anticipated question(s) each group is likely to have. Finally, go back and incorporate into the roll-out plan along with associated solutions. Once you are confident you've addressed the majority of major concerns, then you may proceed confidently.

Siempre es importante empezar con los conocimientos sobre metodologías, sin embargo me ha servido dejar en evidencia que entiendes el contexto de cambio de la industria a la que pertenece el contratante, para eso te recomiendo 1- Estudiar previamente la realidad actual de la industria, los mercados y la empresa en particular. 2- Contar ejemplos concretos de tipos de proyectos en dónde has participado y el logro concreto de la gestión del cambio. 3- Enfasis en los riesgos comunes de no adopción al cambio en ese tipo de industria. 4- Habilidades propias y expectativas de resultados de la gestión de cambio en la industria de la empresa

In my experience with change management, I've played a pivotal role in orchestrating and navigating organisational transitions. I've successfully implemented strategic tools like Asana and Trello to enhance collaboration and streamline processes. Facilitating open communication within teams has been a priority, fostering an environment where concerns are addressed transparently, leading to more effective change initiatives. Additionally, I've actively promoted a culture of continuous improvement, embracing feedback as a catalyst for refining strategies. My approach integrates adaptability and resilience, ensuring that change is not just managed but leveraged as an opportunity for growth and optimisation.